


A Time to Grieve, and a Time to Celebrate

by stew (julie)



Category: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984)
Genre: Flirting, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1989-12-31
Updated: 1989-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22302439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julie/pseuds/stew
Summary: Rawhide is worried about Buckaroo, who must walk Eunice down the aisle for her wedding to Flyboy Johnson while he’s still desperately grieving for his own bride…
Relationships: Buckaroo Banzai & Rawhide
Kudos: 1





	A Time to Grieve, and a Time to Celebrate

**Author's Note:**

> **First published:** in “BANZINE!” – a multimedia zine featuring _Doctor Who_ , _Blake’s 7_ and _Buckaroo Banzai_ , published in 1989

# A Time to Grieve, and a Time to Celebrate

♦

I strode down the aisle and signaled to the organist. She began playing a very reverential “Song of Joy” as I slid into the front pew beside Reno. 

“Rawhide! Where were you all?” he whispered. “Did Eunice get the pre-wedding jitters?” 

“No – Buckaroo has,” I replied flatly. “Did Flyboy think she’d jilted him?” 

Reno grinned. “Hell, no.” 

But then the vicar signaled for us all to stand. I cast my gaze briefly round the little sandstone church. The late afternoon sun streamed in through the stained glass windows, igniting the white flowers with all the colors of the rainbow. And Buckaroo stepped through the open door with a radiant Eunice on his arm. 

For a long moment I took in the sight of our young apprentice, beautiful in her gown of swathes of white silk. Eunice had sure made waves since she joined the Institute six months ago. For a start, she had been our most promising and energetic recruit since Perfect Tommy first presented himself. And as soon as she’d met Cavalier Flyboy Johnson, she’d fallen wildly, sweetly in love with him. Her innovative intelligence combined with her wholehearted passion for the bemused Flyboy had touched everyone’s hearts – none more so than Buckaroo. Experiencing parental pangs for the first time, Buckaroo had asked Eunice to _please_ at least postpone the wedding until her eighteenth birthday. Eunice had agreed. After all, it gave Tommy time to design her wedding dress. 

Buckaroo quickly crouched by her in the doorway to rearrange her train, and then they stepped out for a very proper walk down the aisle. Eunice was joyfully certain. Buckaroo – Well, maybe these last few moments of reflection had been the only time I’d stopped worrying about him. I could read so much now in his face. His joy and pride for Eunice was warring with his memories. It had only been two months ago that Mr. Simpson had walked down the aisle of another church with Peggy on his arm, and Buckaroo himself had waited where Flyboy now stood, a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon on his face. 

I could see the pain in him. There was a tear in his eye for happiness, and another for grief. His smile was quirkily lopsided. He bravely refused to meet my anxious gaze as they passed the front pews and reached Flyboy’s side. 

“Dearly beloved,” the vicar began. I wasn’t really listening to the words – just wondering who was trembling harder, Flyboy or Buckaroo. And then, “Who gives Eunice to be married to Edward?” 

“I do,” Buckaroo declared, placing Eunice’s hand in Flyboy’s. 

“Thank you. You may sit down.”

Buckaroo pressed a kiss against Eunice’s cheek, and stumbled back to where I sat. “Thank heaven that’s over. I thought I’d forget my lines.” 

“Sure, boss.” I put an arm around the poor man’s shoulders. “How’re you doing?” 

“Just fine, Rawhide.” He looked around at my silence, and smiled ruefully. “It’s Eunice’s day. Don’t make me spoil it.” 

“How could you spoil it?” 

“I could break down sobbing at the slightest provocation.” His eyes twinkled with mingled tears and mirth. 

“You’re meant to cry at weddings, remember?” 

Reno broke in: “But you’re not meant to chatter through the entire ceremony.” 

We grinned and shut up. Then I watched Buckaroo sink further into his memories. By the time he went off to sign the certificate as witness for Eunice, he had tears pouring down his face. 

“Maybe it will do him good,” Reno suggested. 

“Are you kidding?” 

“He’s sort of been hiding from it all. Sometimes, to hear him talk, you’d think he’d never been through this himself. Maybe reliving his own wedding will help.” Reno shrugged. “I’m trying to look on the bright side.” 

As it turned out, Reno may well have been right. Buckaroo returned to sit by me, looking happier than he’d been for far too long. I didn’t dare say anything – I just let rip with the smile I reserve for him alone. 

“Hey, Rawhide,” he responded with a grin. 

And then Flyboy was kissing his bride, and the Cavaliers were all cheering and whooping, and the bells were ringing. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson ran back down the aisle, the rest of us following, everyone pouring out into the sunshine. Eunice stood on the steps, hanging onto Flyboy’s waist and laughing. 

“Come on, Mrs. Johnson!” Buckaroo called out delightedly. “It’s time to throw the bouquet!” The guys in the party stood by, laughing at Buckaroo, who remained firmly amongst the milling unmarried women. 

I figured Buckaroo had let his relief go to his head. He’d been so nervous about being involved in the ceremony, almost as if he’d felt himself to be a bad omen. All very unscientific. But it seemed as if he was now having his equal and opposite reaction. “Buckaroo,” I said, “I don’t know if you realize, but you just don’t qualify for bouquet-catching.” 

He laughed. “Don’t be so sexist, Rawhide! This is an equal opportunity wedding celebration. Come on, you guys!” 

Most of the unmarried men in the wedding party went to mingle happily with the women. I abstained, even though Buckaroo’s craziness was infectious. 

Eunice closed her eyes and Flyboy spun her around. She flung the bouquet in a high arc, the white ribbons fluttering in the sunlight. Buckaroo lunged rather out of his way to catch it. He stood with it in his hands, grinning triumphantly at me. “There’s hope yet!” he declared. 

“Huh.” 

“Come on, Rawhide – join in. You might get lucky with the garter.” I obediently shuffled in closer and watched Buckaroo eyeing Eunice’s stockinged leg as Flyboy slowly drew her garter down and off.

Flyboy closed his eyes, and was spun around before flicking the garter away like an over-sized rubber band. I caught it more from an instinct of self-preservation than anything else. 

“Rawhide – it’s your lucky day!” 

“Would have taken my eye out,” I complained. Buckaroo’s smile didn’t falter for a moment, and eventually I couldn’t help but smile back. 

He skipped around now, tossing handfuls of confetti over all and sundry. Eunice and Flyboy called goodbye and were driven off to everyone’s loud best wishes. The rest of the party filtered off towards the bus, heading for the champagne. I saw Buckaroo, alone and quiet now, wandering off in the other direction. I followed him, stepping carefully amongst the haphazard gravestones. 

“Great catch you took there,” I said. 

“Not bad yourself.” 

“I didn’t have to make quite the same effort,” I observed. 

“Ah well…” He nodded knowingly. “You’ve got to go for what you want. Isn’t that right, Rawhide?” 

“Yeah, boss.” Suddenly all the previous worry for him descended on me again. These swings in mood just weren’t like him. 

“Hey, Rawhide,” he said. I looked up to see a smile in his eye. “I got the bouquet, and you got the garter – doesn’t that give you any ideas?” 

“Ha! You wish.” 

And then he was serious again. “What I wish is that poor Peggy needn’t have died. I wish that for her sake – not my own.” 

“I know, Buckaroo. We all wish it.” 

“But we just have to go on from there. Life continues – trite, but true. Eunice has given me that at least. Something she said when we were signing the register made me see –” 

“Hey, guys!” came Reno’s voice. “Bus leaves with or without you!” 

“I’m all right now, Rawhide,” Buckaroo quickly said. “I promise you, you can stop worrying about me.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. You’ve been too good a friend, you know. Far too indulgent.” And he gave me a hug before we made our way back to the party. 

I might never know what Eunice had said that I never managed to, but I was too happy to care. It was time for some serious celebrations.

♦


End file.
